State v. Woolridge

670 So. 2d 1332, 1996 WL 87197
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 27, 1996
Docket95-KA-971
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 670 So. 2d 1332 (State v. Woolridge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Woolridge, 670 So. 2d 1332, 1996 WL 87197 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

670 So.2d 1332 (1996)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Elcee WOOLRIDGE.

No. 95-KA-971.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

February 27, 1996.

*1334 Linda Davis-Short, Staff Appellate Counsel, Indigent Defender Board, Gretna, for Appellant Elcee Woolridge.

John M. Mamoulides, District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Assistant District Attorney, Research & Appeals, Gretna, for State.

Before DUFRESNE, GOTHARD and CANNELLA, JJ.

CANNELLA, Judge.

Defendant, Elcee Woolridge, appeals from his sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and his conviction and sentence for three counts of contempt of court. We affirm and remand.

On September 13, 1994 defendant was charged by bill of information with the violation of La.R.S. 14:95.1, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Defendant pled not guilty and proceeded to trial on June 12, 1995. When the jury was unable to reach a verdict the following day, the trial court declared a mistrial. Defendant was tried again on August 29, 1995. That same day the jury returned with a verdict of guilty, as charged. Several weeks later, on September 18, 1995, the trial court sentenced defendant to ten years imprisonment at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, but with credit for time served. The trial court also found defendant guilty of three counts of contempt of court, for which defendant was sentenced to six months on each count. The court then ordered that the three six month sentences run consecutively with each other and consecutively with the ten year sentence. Subsequently, on October 18, 1995, defendant filed a motion to reconsider the sentences, which was denied.

On the evening of July 25, 1994, Detective James Wright, along with two officers of the Street Crimes Unit and one uniformed officer, proceeded to 1144 Tallow Tree Drive, Apt. D in Harvey, Louisiana to execute a warrant for defendant's arrest. Upon arriving, Wright knocked on the door. When defendant opened the door, Wright asked him if he was Elcee Woolridge. Defendant replied "yes" and Wright told him that he had a warrant for his arrest. Defendant "turned around on" Wright and started to walk away from the door. Wright then instructed him to place his hands against the wall. According to Wright, defendant "then moved his hand to the front of him at that point and the other one went to the front...." Believing that defendant "was going for his waist" where "he's probably got a weapon of some type," Wright grabbed defendant and shoved him against the wall. Wright felt a gun in defendant's waistband, which he then removed and unloaded.

At trial, defendant contended that he did not have possession of a gun and that he was "framed." His girlfriend, Joy Refuge, who was in the house on the second floor when the officers arrived, testified that her brother had a gun that was kept on the shelf of a second floor closet. However, she had not seen the weapon for approximately one week. She also stated that she had not seen a weapon on defendant that day.

At trial, the state and the defense stipulated that defendant was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine in the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court on April 12, 1994.

On appeal, defendant contends that the trial judge erred in imposing an excessive sentence and in finding defendant in contempt of court. Defendant also requests a patent error review.

Defendant contends that the maximum ten *1335 year sentence[1] constituted an excessive sentence, considering that the sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence between two and three years. In addition, defendant asserts that the trial judge failed to obtain a pre-sentence investigative report in order to consider his history, family and other potential mitigating factors. Defendant notes that there are no aggravating circumstances in the record that would warrant imposition of the maximum sentence for this crime. He argues that the maximum sentence should be reserved for the very worst offenders of the crime of possession of a firearm.

Effective August 15, 1995, the legislature repealed the sentencing guidelines and amended La.C.Cr.P. art. 894.1 to delete reference to those guidelines and to provide the sentencing guidelines which are now in effect. Acts 1995, No. 942; See also: State v. Guzman, 95-444 (La.App. 5th Cir. 11/15/95), 665 So.2d 512. As amended, La.C.Cr.P. art. 894.1(C) now requires that the trial court state for the record the considerations taken into account and the factual basis for imposing sentence. In addition, the revision amended La.C.Cr.P. art 881.4 to state, "The appellate court shall not set aside a sentence for excessiveness if the record supports the sentence imposed."

In imposing the sentence, the trial court gave the following reasons:

All right, Mr. Woolridge [defendant].
Anyway, you were convicted of a prior crime [possession with intent to distribute cocaine], which was very serious. I saw you twice on the stand. You didn't appear to have any remorse. Your life style didn't appear to have changed and you hadn't done anything to keep yourself out of trouble. You had a gun in your waistband the evidence showed, that you were reaching for that gun when you had police officers at your door. You are wanted for other crimes, some of which are extremely serious. We're talking one of them murder. I don't know whether you committed those crimes, but I can consider the evidence that you've been arrested for those crimes in setting your sentence.[2] So based on everything and after considering the sentencing guidelines, the felony sentencing guidelines, which in my understanding are no longer in effect—
* * * * * *
—because the 1995 legislature threw them out, and also considering all the sentencing guidelines contained in Article 894.1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as well as considering the part which says that any sentence lesser than what I'm going to give will deprecate the seriousness of the crime, which I think carrying pistols around, especially when you are a convicted felon, is not only serious, it's extremely serious. You've already shown and been warned you shouldn't be doing certain things and you go and carry a weapon. That is in my mind extremely serious and dangerous to our society.
So, therefore, I will sentence you to the maximum allowed by the statute. (Footnote added)

The Louisiana Constitution in Article 1, Section 20 prohibits the imposition of excessive punishment. If the sentence is grossly out of proportion to the seriousness of the offense or is nothing more than a purposeless and needless infliction of pain and suffering, then it is constitutionally excessive. State v. Bradham, 94-71 (La.App. 5th Cir. 5/31/94), 638 So.2d 428, 430. In addition, a sentence is grossly disproportionate if, when the crime and punishment are considered in light of the harm done to society, it shocks the sense of justice. Id. at 430. However, even a sentence that is within the statutory limit may violate a defendant's constitutional right against excessive punishment. Id. at 430; State v. Sweeney, 443 So.2d 522 (La.1983). Only if there is a showing of clear abuse of the trial court's wide *1336 discretion to sentence within statutory limits will the sentence be set aside. Id. at 430; State v. Lobato, 603 So.2d 739 (La.1992), appeal after remand, 621 So.2d 103 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1993).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
670 So. 2d 1332, 1996 WL 87197, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-woolridge-lactapp-1996.